A Truce
by Columbia R0se
Summary: The beginning of James Potter and Lily Evans' friendship, that we all know will soon evolve into more. Just a small little muse turned into a one-shot. Reviews are lovely. Enjoy.


_**Hi all. I really felt like posting something tonight, and this is a little one shot I felt was good enough to go up. Its quite short, but you get the point fairly easily. It was just a musing. It's kind of the beginning of James and Lily's friendship. Reviews mean a LOT to me :)**_

She was sitting on one of the desks in the Astronomy Tower, her ankles crossed and her slender legs hanging limp off the edge. She stared out into the distance. Her long auburn hair tumbled down her back in loose and messy curls, blowing slowly in the wind around her face. Her green eyes appeared sunken and dark in the light. The only frequent movements were the tears dripping down her cheeks. She was still. Her wet eyes stared into the orange sunset over the mountain ranges, frozen and glazed over; Lily Evans wasn't seeing anything.

He was standing silently in the shadows, at the top of the Astronomy tower stairwell, watching the girl he loved cautiously. His ebony hair was casually windswept, as always, but his bright hazel and gold eyes were sad and troubled, unlike usual. He was frowning, his eyebrows *furrowed in worry. One of his hands gripped the stair railing so tight his knuckles were almost white, but he made no movements. He looked to be as still and quiet as a statue, but on the inside, James Potter's mind was raging a war.

Suddenly, his body jerked forward slightly, and he seemed to have made up his mind, as he cautiously stepped out of the circular room's shadows. James approached Lily slowly, and came to a stop next to the desk. She looked around quickly, and the moment she saw him she straightened up and brushed away her tears impatiently.

"Potter," she said, somewhat stiffly, "What are you doing here?"

James walked over and sat down next to her on the desk.

"I don't know," he replied slowly. Lily looked at him dully.

"Alright, well, I noticed you didn't come back to the common room after dinner, so I figured you'd be up here, since it's your second favourite place in Hogwarts."

Lily was shocked, but her face betrayed no emotion.

"Evans... Are you alright?" James asked quietly.

"What?" she asked, looking up.

"Are- are you alright? Do you need a tissue?" he asked again.

"Potter what are you doing?" Lily asked blankly.

"What do you mean?"

"You don't care about me," she replied, "I think you're arrogant, you think I'm annoying and we argue like it's no one's business, yet you're up here, sitting next to me, asking whether or not I'm alright?"

James was silent, "Well... yeah." he replied finally, with a sort of sheepish look on his handsome features.

"Right," said Lily, brushing tears away once again, "Well I'm fine."

James watched her, a wearily concerned expression upon his face, her jaw set and gaze determined into the distance. Her lower lip was starting to tremble, and she was blinking back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Lily..." James reasoned softly, placing his hand on her shoulder. She let out a strangled sort of sob and clamped a hand to her mouth, as if trying to muffle the noise. But Lily couldn't stop crying as her body started to shake with wracked sobs.

James froze for a moment, but then instantly gathered her in his arms and held her, as if it was a knee-jerk reaction. Lily sobbed into James' shoulder as he pulled her closer into him. Her fisted hands gripped his shirt tightly on his chest. One of James' long arms wrapped around Lily's waist, and the other hand stroked her hair soothingly. He rocked her slowly, occasionally whispering that it would be alright. And in that moment of peace between them, that calm moment where there was no arrogance or cruelty or misjudgment or warring; Lily Evans believed James Potter when he whispered in her ear that she would be just fine, for he was here.

And in that moment of tranquility, in both their minds, vows were made that they would each be a better person towards the other. In both their separate minds, a truce was made.


End file.
